1. Field of the Invention
An object motion toy in which random motion of the objects is initiated at the discretion of a child.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous types of motion toys have been suggested for the amusement of infants and small children. It has recently been recognized by pediatricians and others active in the field that babies have a sense of awareness and recognition almost from the moment of birth. Thus, even the smallest baby in a crib soon senses its surroundings, and crib toys are feasible for even the youngest of babies. Pediatricians now recognize that the stimulation and amusement of the mind of the baby may be accomplished almost from the day of birth. Typical crib toys for mounting to or in the proximity of a crib holding a baby or infant include wind-up toys which actuate small labile mobiles having mounted toy butterflies, birds or the like, toy clocks having visible pendulums, especially cuckoo clocks, and toys in which motion of objects takes place inside a transparent enclosure visible to the child or infant. In the latter instance, random motion of the objects may be initiated by the flow of a fluid such as air or water inside the enclosure. This fluid flow may be initiated in various ways, and the motion of the objects may be either random or directed to a target, e.g. a ring-toss toy or a toy with the objective of placing spheres such as balls into pockets. These games and toys are as much fun to look at as they are to play with. The slow motion of the rings and/or balls is controlled, typically with a button that forces air currents or a stream of water into a transparent tank or other enclosure. The objective may be to get three or more balls in a row in their pockets, or to try to get all of the balls in. In ring toss, the objective is to get all of the rings on the pegs. Such toys are intended for older children, typically five years of age or older, who can understand the objective of maneuvering the pieces into the right places. Generally, the tank or other enclosure is filled with water, however, air actuation may also be employed. In such toys, the pressing of the manual push button actuates the device by pushing a plunger or the like, or by contracting a bellows which has been gravity-filled via water pressure.
Pertinent prior art relative to such toys includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 806,255; 1,850,715; 2,100,898; 2,968,120; 3,014,307; 3,060,628; 3,106,394; 3,978,610; and 4,032,141; British Pat. No. 637,984 and French Patent No. 1,176,080.